Cooking with Fresh Herbs in the Texas Hill Country

Fresh herbs can add an abundance of flavor to any dish. Utilizing the freshness will give any dish an impact that no dried herb can emulate. At the Blair House we grow them all summer long, picking off what we need for our dishes, making pesto, and preserving them for use during the winter.

When working with fresh herbs, some people get stuck on how exactly to go about using them. In our Cooking with Fresh Herbs class we will address multiple techniques on utilizing a wide range of herbs. We will address how to plant and maintain your own garden in the region you live in.

Here are a few techniques for chopping herbs to add to your dishes, as well as how you can save any extra herbs for use later on.

Washing Herbs – Herbs are plants, and like most plants, they are exposed to nature. We will show you how to properly harvest, wash, and dry to ensure a healthy practice with cooking.

Removing Stems – When working with herbs such as parsley, dill, and sage, removing the main stem or stalk is the most important part. For rosemary, thyme, and herbs with a woody stalk you will want to strip the leaves at their base to avoid any bitterness. You will learn how to determine what process to use with which herbs.

Chopping Herbs – Each herbs have different methods of chopping to utilize the most impact of flavor and presentation for your dishes.

Preserving & Drying – Extra chopped herbs can easily be preserved by freezing in ice cube trays, covering with a teaspoon of water and frozen. Frozen herb-sickles can be added to soups or dishes as they are heating for a fresh burst of flavor in winter months. Drying herbs at the end of the growing season can be utilized for months after summer has passed.

Our next Fresh Herbed cooking school is April 1 – 3 and there is still available space. Call or follow this link to book your reservation.

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on Wednesday, March 6th, 2013 at 12:48 pm and is filed under Cooking Classes.
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